How can I “reuse” fresh eggs that we can’t eat?

(Hi! Sorry to regular readers for the stupidly long break in posting – I’ve been reading all the comments as usual as they come in, just not posting any new content myself due to a combination of busy-ness, illness and laziness. I’m hoping to get back to regular scheduled blogging again now though!)

This question is a bit like the one I posted six years ago (!!) about ways to use up no longer fresh eggs but this one is a little different. We’ve got our own chickens now so always have super-fresh eggs – but sometimes, like this last weekend, I have to give them medication or treat their coup with things that mean we shouldn’t eat their eggs for a few days.

The eggs look perfectly fine but there is a risk of contamination so we can’t eat them. I can’t bring myself to just throw them in the compost though – or even throw them at my boyfriend when he’s not paying attention… ;)

I know egg yolks can be used as a hair conditioner or for a face mask – does anyone have any favourite recipes/techniques?

I’ve also heard some people using them as a fertiliser boost for plants – do any plants particularly benefit from an eggy treat (especially at this time of year), or is there any that definitely shouldn’t have it?

Any other suggestions?

And finally, less on topic but critically important, did you all have a good summer? (Or good winter, if you’re on the southern side of things?)

I’m sure there are several crafty things you could do with them; but my suggestion would be if you wouldn’t ingest the eggs by eating them, why would you put them on your skin to be (at least partially) ingested that way? That said, the egg tempera would be really interesting to try.

Glad you’re back. I was going to suggest blowing the eggs and using the shells for something crafty, but Pennywise got there first.

Isn’t there a way of testing the alcohol content of beer using an egg? Although that would only use one.

And there’s a cool thing you can do using vinegar to dissolve the shells of whole raw eggs — you end up with a dangerous bouncy ball, basically. Dangerous because it’s liable to burst at any time with hilarious consequences.

Do you not want to put them on the compost heap because of the contamination risk, or just because it seems like a waste?

I am really happy to see you’ve come back! I have learned endless amounts of helpful tidbits through your site and it keeps challenging me to find new ways to reuse or repurpose in my everyday life. Thank you!
Although this isn’t using MANY eggs at once, it does allow for constant use/reuse of shells: as a natural drainpipe cleaner and food debris catcher-
Keep a couple of crushed eggshells in your kitchen sink strainer at all times. They trap additional solids and they gradually break up and help to naturally clean your pipes on their way down the drain.

Welcome back :)
Tempera is fun to paint with. Use the yolk, a few drops of water, and any pigments you have for the painting.
Using those eggs as a hair mask would be another fun idea; it should give the hair plenty of body.
For egg shells I’ve tried them as slug deterrents. At least in Ireland the slugs were so industrial sized they didn’t get scared of the shells. Now I mostly use them cracked in smaller bits for plants that love calcium, e.g. pepper plants and rosemary. Just break the shells to smaller bits, and leave around the plant. It’ll melt quite fast.

Something my mother would do with old eggs, just let them sit somewhere so they won’t get broken… Wait, wait, wait. Before too long the insides will shrink up and harden. Then you can paint or decorate them however you like, the shells stay tough. She reused the same “special” eggs year after year after year (she had some for 20 years.) They are beautiful decorated and used with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas themes too! The little yolk ball will rattle inside.

Why not cook the eggs and feed them back to the chickens, we do it all the time!?
You could set the eggs aside in a safe place somewhere for a few months until they petrify. Putrified eggs make great deer repellent!

If you crush the egg shells and put them in the bottom of your pots (instead of stones) it will provide nutrition for your plants.
Another way is to spread crushed eggs shells on top of the ground around plants in your garden, particularly around vegetables like tomatoes, cabbage and broccoli. Calcium from shells is very useful to plants!

Crush the water-washed egg shells (inside and outside washing of them) and serve to the hens for their calcium supply. I do this for all my cracked eggs. My hen loves it and accesses it whenever she wants it.